Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Come to Disney's California Adventure Park

The stars and minds behind Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur celebrated the Marvel characters' debuts at Disney California Adventure with a red carpet chat.

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is about a 13-year-old super genius named Lunella Lafayette who accidentally opens a portal and brings demon dinosaurs into her dimension. Together, the two use their wits and strength to protect the city's Lower East Side from danger. Already a hit on the Disney Channel and Disney+, the animated series has a 100% premiere rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was approved for a second season before the first episode aired.

Now the franchise has reached another milestone, with Moon Girl herself making her debut at Disney's California Adventure. That's right, fans of the show can meet Yue Nu for a limited time. Her welcome to the park includes parades with her and the cast of Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, as well as exclusive one-day-only performances.

Screen Rant interviews Diamond White (voice of Lunella Lafayette), Fred Tatasciore (voice of Demon Dinosaur), Alfre Woodard (voice of Mimi), Libe Barer (voice of Casey), Gary Anthony Williams (Pops), Rodney Clouden (director), Pilar Flynn (producer) and Steve Loter (producer) about the momentous moment. They talked about what it was like to see Moon Girl jump off the screen Coming to life, fans should learn about the series and, most importantly - what's the first thing they do when they walk into Disney California Adventure's Avengers land.

Tales From the Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur Red Carpet

Screen Rant: What does it mean to you that the kids can come here to hug and talk to Moon Girl?

Diamond White: I think that it's super cool, especially because the representation of the show is very inclusive. I feel like it's really important for younger generations to see a black super genius, because that's something that we've never seen. The fact that they get to come to California Adventure and meet Moon Girl is super cool.

What do you say to people who ask why they watch Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur?

Diamond White: If you want to watch a 13-year-old super genius protect the Lower East Side with cool villains. She goes through some really cool adventures. My favorite episode is the hair episode. Jennifer Hudson is in that episode, and you get a lot of great Easter eggs. It's complimentary to the Marvel Universe, so you'll see a lot of cute little Marvel things in there. It's a really good adventure show! Fred Tatasciore: Yeah, and there's the music and the art and the animation. The art has a street art look, like Basquiat. It's wonderful. The music and the art drives it equally, and it's a very interesting experience. You could watch one episode four times and see something different. And also, for kids and adults, science is cool. Here you have this wonderful, brilliant, nerd scientist girl who's just owning it and helping her community. It's exciting. That's the pitch, I think.

Screen Rant: It has had an incredible response. People love it. What was it like to see the reaction of the fans?

Gary Anthony Williams: I didn't know the response until my son texted me from college and goes, "Dad, you guys are 100% on Rotten Tomatoes." If anybody knows what that is. If you don't, just know that's pretty miraculous and amazing and does not happen a lot. And then my friends today, on the way down here, were texting me videos of them watching the show with their kids. And then it's like, "This is great!" Libe Barer: It's felt super special. I think seeing this thing that was so filled with love and felt so intimate now being shared with the world, and having people respond and having it mean so much to so many people, has been really amazing.

Screen Rant: What first attracted you to Moon Girl?

Alfre Woodard: [Laughs] Laurence Fishburne. I've known Lawrence since he was just a few years older than Moon Girl, and I have had tremendous respect and love for him since then. Anytime he says something to me, I'm gonna take notice of it. When I read it, because I didn't know that Marvel character, it was like, "Oh, yeah. I'll be the grandmama. I'll be Mimi." But when I started to read deeper into Mimi? She is not your regular grandma, that's all I'm saying. First of all, cruising around on a perfectly restored Vesta. She runs the snack bar at the Roll With It rink, and she's rolling with Raphael Saadiq's music. Every time I would be off working, they would say, "Do you have a few days? We need some sessions." I get driven to the nearest place to record, and every time I got there, I just immediately got as happy as you are when you're watching it. I keep saying, "Is that all? Is it all?" after two hours. It was always like a real holiday to go do it, and I think people are gonna feel that when they see it.

Screen Rant: What was it about Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur that originally made you want to be a part of the show?

Pilar Flynn: Before the show, I produced Elena of Avalor. I'm a Latina myself, and it was the first time I saw myself reflected onscreen. It meant so much to me to see how it inspired my own Latino community. When I saw this show was being developed at Disney, and I saw it was about a little black girl and her best friend who was a Latina, I knew I had to be a part of it. As the producer, and now co-showrunner for season 2, I made it my responsibility to make sure that these little girls' stories were told in an authentic way and as high-quality way as possible. To be in charge of putting together a crew that was going to be as diverse and authentic as the characters we were having onscreen was something really important to me. So, I knew I had to be a part of this project. I feel like I was born for this.

Screen Rant: You're walking into Avengers Campus. what was the first thing you did

Rodney Clouden: Well, I gotta say that I'm gonna get myself some shawarma. And then I hit the Spider-Man ride. Steve Loter: Oh, yeah, totally. I'm looking for some of the superheroes. I'm looking for Iron Man, I'm looking for Captain America, and I'm looking for Moon Girl.

​​​​About Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur

"Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur" follows the adventures of 13-year-old super-genius Lunella Lafayette and her 10-ton T-Rex Devil Dinosaur. After Lunella accidentally brings a dino dinosaur into what is now New York City, the two team up to protect the city's Lower East Side from danger. Based on Marvel's hit comic book, The action-packed, funny and heartwarming series premieres on Disney Channel on February 10 and on Disney+ shortly thereafter.

Check out our other interviews with Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur here: